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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive
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September 28-October 4, 2009
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Monday, September 28
Vivian Fine ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Vivian Fine (1913 – 2000): Concertante Reiko Honsho, piano; Japan Philharmonic; Akeo Watanabe, cond. CRI 692 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Vivian Fine ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1870—French composer Florent Schmitt, in Blámont; 1913—American composer Vivian Fine, in Chicago; Deaths: 1825 —Russian composer Dimitri Bortniansky, age c. 74, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Oct. 10); 1964—English composer Sir George Dyson, age 81, in Winchester; Premieres: 1918 — Stravinsky: "The Soldier's Tale" for narrator and seven instruments, in Lausanne at the Théatre Municipal with Ernest Ansermet conducting; 1961 — Bartók: "Scherzo" for Piano and Orchestra, an early work by the late composer, in Budapest; 1972 — Petrassi: Concerto for Orchestra No. 8, in Chicago; 1997 — James MacMillan: Symphony ("Vigil"), at the Barbican in London, by the London Symphony, Mstislav Rostropovich conducting; Other: 1951—Sci-fi classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still" opens in theaters across America, featuring memorable score by Bernard Herrmann that included eerie, other-worldly sounds imitating the electronic instrument known as a "Theremin" (after its Russian-born inventor, Leon Theremin); In the movie, actress Patricia Neal's rendition of the space alien command "Gort: Klaatu barada nikto" prevents Earth's destruction by a death-ray robot from outer space. 2007—Conductor Philip Brunelle awarded the "Champion of New Music" Award by the American Composers Forum at their 2007 Annual Meeting in St. Paul, Minn.; This award recognizes artists who have commissioned and performed a significant number of new works by living composers.
Tuesday, September 29
Torke's "Overnight Mail" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Michael Torke (b. 1961): Overnight Mail Orkest de Volharding; Jurjen Hempel, cond. Argo 455 684 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Torke ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1673—French flutist and composer Jacques-Martin Hottetere, in Paris; Deaths: 1977—Russian composer Alexander Tcherepnin, age 78, in Paris; Premieres: 1918 — Holst: "The Planets," at Queen's Hall, London; 1921 — Sigmund Romberg: operetta "Blossom Time," in New York City; 1949 — Bliss: opera "The Olympians," in London; 1968 — Henze: Piano Concerto No. 2, in Bielefeld, Germany; 1969 — Shostakovich: Symphony No. 14 (to poems of Lorca, Apollinaire, Küchelbecker, and Rilke), in Leningrad, by the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Rudolf Barshai conducting, with vocal soloists Galina Vishnevskaya and Yevgeny Vladimirov; 1983 — Lutoslawski: Symphony No. 3, in Chicago; 1997 — Michael Torke: "Overnight Mail" for chamber ensemble, in Carre, Amsterdam, by the Orkest de Volharding, Jurjen Hempel conducting; 2000 — Tan Dun: "Crouching Tiger Concerto," at the Barbican Festival in London, by the London Sinfonietta; Other: 1739—Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in G, Op. 6, no. 1 (Gregorian date: Oct. 10); 1789—Mozart completes in Vienna his Quintet in A for clarinet and strings, K. 581, written for clarinetist Anton Stadler, who gave the first public performance of the new work in December of that year.
Wednesday, September 30
Bizet's "The Pearl Fishers" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Georges Bizet (1838 – 1875): Prelude, fr The Pearl Fishers Mexico City Philharmonic; Enrique Batiz, cond. ASV 6133 & Georges Bizet (1838 – 1875): "Au fond du temple saint," fr The Pearl Fishers Placido Domingo, tenor; Sherrill Milnes, baritone; London Symphony; Anton Guadagno, BMG 62699 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Bizet ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1840—Norwegian composer Johann Svendsen, in Christiania; 1852—Irish-born British composer Sir Charles Villers Stanford, in Dublin; Deaths: 1989—American composer and music critic Virgil Thomson, age 92, in New York City; Premieres: 1791 — Mozart: opera, "Die Zauberflöte" (The Magic Flute), in Vienna at the Freihaustheater auf der Wieden, conducted by the composer; 1863 — Bizet: opera "Les Pecheurs de perles" (The Pearl Fishers), in Paris at the Théâtre Lyrique; 1935 — Gershwin: opera "Porgy and Bess," during trial run at Boston's Colonial Theater; According to Opera America magazine, this is one of the most frequently-produced American operas during the past decade; 1944 — R. Vaughan Williams: Oboe Concerto, with soloist Leon Goosens and the Liverpool Philharmonic conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent; 1960 — Barber: "Toccata Festiva" for organ and orchestra, at Philadelphia's Academy of Music, by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy, with Paul Callaway the soloist; 1979 — Penderecki: "Te Deum" in Assisi, Italy; 1989 — Daniel Asia: Piano Quartet, at Wigmore Hall in London, by the Domus ensemble; 1999 — Michael Tilson Thomas: "Whitman Songs for Orchestra," by the San Francisco Symphony, composer conducting.
Thursday, October 1
Curtis celebrates with a Higdon commission ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962): Blue Cathedral Atlanta Symphony; Robert Spano, cond. Telarc 80596 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On the Curtis Institute On Jennifer Higdon ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1832—American composer Henry Clay Work, in Middletown, Conn.; A printer by trade, he wrote some famous popular songs, including "Grandfather's Clock," "Father, Come Home," and "Marching Through Georgia"; 1865—French composer Paul Dukas, in Paris; 1931—Italian composer Sylvano Bussotti, in Florence; Deaths: 1708—British composer John Blow, age c. 59, in London; 1964—Austrian-born American composer Ernst Toch, age 76, in Santa Monica, Calif.; He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1956 for his Symphony No. 3; 1979—American composer Roy Harris, age 81, in Santa Monica, Calif.; Premieres: 1733 — Rameau: opera, "Hippolyte et Aricie," in Paris at the Palais Royal Opéra; 1913 — Elgar: symphonic poem, “Falstaff,” at the Leeds Festival, with the composer conducting; 1937 — Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 18, in Moscow, Alexander Gauk conducting; 1961 — Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12 ("The Year 1917"), by the Leningrad Philharmonic, Yevgeny Mravinsky conducting; 1967 — Sessions: Symphony No. 7, in Ann Arbor, Mich., by the Chicago Symphony, Jean Martinon conducting; 1975 — Shostakovich: Viola Sonata, in Leningrad, by Fyodor Druzhinin (viola) and Mikhail Muntyan (piano); 1992 — Michael Torke: “Chalk” for string quartet, at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester (U.K.), by the Balanescu Quartet; 1998 — Ives (arr. David G. Porter): "Emerson Overture," for piano and orchestra, with soloist Alan Feinberg and the Cleveland Orchestra, Christoph von Dohnányi conducting; 2005 — John Adams: opera "Dr. Atomic,," in San Francisco by the San Francisco Opera, Donald Runnicles, cond; Other: 1880—John Philip Sousa, age 25, is appointed 17th Leader of the U.S. Marine Band, a post he would hold for 12 years; During this time, the band made its first concert tour, premiered many of Sousa's most famous marches, and produced some of the first phonograph recordings ever made; 1924—Opening of The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, funded by a gift of $12.5 million from the American patroness Mary Louise Curtis Bok, who had inherited her fortune from the Curtis Publishing Company; The faculty, providing instruction for 203 students, includes Leopold Stokowski and Josef Hofmann heading conducting and piano departments, respectively; Polish-born coloratura Marcella Sembrich; Hungarian violinist Carl Flesch; French-born harpist/composer Carlos Salzedo; and Italian composer Rosario Scalero.
Friday, October 2
Laurel and Hardy and Shield ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Leroy Shield (1893 – 1962): Good Old Days and Hide and Go Seek Beau Hunks Orchestra Koch 8702 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Leroy Shield ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1893 —American composer and pianist Leroy Shield, in Waseca, Minn.; His wrote much of the uncredited film music for the Hal Roach studios in the 1930s (including many classic Laurel & Hardy and "Our Gang," comedies); 1929—British composer Kenneth Leighton, in Wakefield, Yorkshire; Deaths: 1920—German composer Max Bruch, age 82, in Friedenau (near Berlin); 1943—Canadian-born American composer R. Nathaniel Dett, age 60, in Battle Creek, Mich.; 1996 —Finnish composer Joonas Kokkonen, age 74, in Jarvenpaa; Premieres: 1913 — Butterworth: "A Shropshire Lad," at the Leeds Festival, with Artur Nikisch conducting; 1960 — Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8, in Leningrad, by the Beethoven Quartet; 2001 — Steven Heitzeg: "Nobel Symphony" at Gustavus Adolpus College in St. Peter, Minn., by the Gustavus Orchestra, soloists and choirs, conducted by Warren Friesen; Other: 1828—Two weeks before his death, Schubert writes a letter to a music publisher offering them his latest work, the String Quintet in C (D. 956); The publisher declined the offer; The work was first performed in public in 1850, and was not published until 1853; 1849—Johann Strauss, Jr., takes over his father's orchestra, one week after his father's death.
Saturday, October 3
Copland's "Duo" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Aaron Copland (1900 – 1990): Duo Jennifer Stinton, flute; Malcolm Martineau, piano Collins 1385 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The Copland Collection at the Library of Congress The Copland House website MPR’s Copland Centennary webpage ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1923—Polish-born American composer and conductor Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, in Lwow; 1936—American composer Steve Reich, in New York; Deaths: 1931—Danish composer and conductor Carl Nielsen, age 66, in Copenhagen; 1953—English composer Sir Arnold Bax, age 69, in Cork, Ireland; Premieres: 1822 — Beethoven: "Consecration of the House" Overture, Op. 124, for the opening of the Josephstadt Theater in Vienna; 1860 — Brahms: Serenade No. 1 in D, Op. 11, in Hanover, conducted by Joseph Joachim; 1888 — Gilbert & Sullivan: operetta, "The Yeomen of the Guard," at the Savoy Theatre in London; 1900 — Elgar: oratorio, "The Dream of Gerontius," at Birmingham, Hans Richter conducting; 1929 — Walton: Viola Concerto, by the Queen's Hall Orchestra conducted by the composer, with Paul Hindemith the soloist; 1963 — Ginastera: Violin Concerto, by the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein conducting, with Ruggiero Ricci the soloist; 1968 — William Schuman's "To Thee Old Cause" at New York Philharmonic concert conducted by Bernstein (dedicated to memory of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy); 1971 — Copland: "Duo" for flute and piano, in Philadelphia, by flutist Elaine Shaffer and pianist Hephzibah Menuhin; 1984 — Corigliano: "Creations" for narrator and chamber orchestra, in Milwaukee, Wisc., with Lukas Foss conducting; 1996 — James MacMillan: Cello Concerto, at the Barbican in London, by Mstislav Rostropovich with the London Symphony, Sir Colin Davis conducting; 1997 — Anthony Davis: "Jacob's Ladder," by the Kansas City Symphony, Bill McGlaughlin conducting; Other: 1833—Berlioz marries Irish actress Harriet "Henrietta" Smithson at the British embassy in Paris; Liszt acts as one of the witnesses.
Sunday, October 4
Korngold makes a Snowman ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Erich Wolfgang von Korngold (1897 – 1957): The Snowman Northwest German Philharmonic; Werner Andreas Albert, cond. CPO 999 037 & Erich Wolfgang von Korngold (1897 – 1957): Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35 Chantal Juillet, violin; Berlin Radio Symphony; John Mauceri, cond. London 452 481 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Erich Wolfgang Korngold Korngold works and recordings ALSO ON THIS DATE: Deaths: 1970—American composer George Frederick McKay, age 71, in Stateline, Nev 1982—Canadian pianist and occasional composer Glenn Gould, age 50, in Toronto; Premieres: 1803 — Cherubini: opera "Anacréon," at the Paris Opéra; 1815 — Rossini: opera, "Elisabetta, Regina d'Inghilterra" (Elizabeth I, Queen of England), in Naples; 1910 — Korngold: pantomime, "The Snowman," at the Vienna Court Opera, conducted by Alexander Zemlinsky; Korngold was 13 at the time; 1916 — R. Strauss: opera, "Ariadne auf Naxos" (revised version), at the Vienna Court Opera, conducted by Franz Schalk, with vocal soloists Maria Jertiza (Ariadne), Selma Kurz (Zerbinetta), Lotte Lehmann (Composer), and Bela Kornyey (Bacchus); An earlier version of this opera (minus its prologue) had premiered in Stuttgart on Oct. 24, 1912, conducted by the composer; 1936 — Dvorák: Symphony No. 1 in c ("The Bells of Zlonice"), in Prague, posthumously; This symphony was composed in 1865; 1941 — Manuel Ponce: "Concierto del Sur" for guitar and orchestra, in Montevideo; 1945 — Copland: "Appalachian Spring" Orchestra Suite, at Carnegie Hall by New York Philharmonic conducted by Artur Rodzinski, with simultaneous performances the next day by the Boston Symphony and Cleveland Orchestra; the original chamber orchestra version of Copland's complete ballet score(choreographed by Martha Graham) had premiered at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., on October 30, 1944; 1956 — Leon Kirchner: "Toccata" for strings, winds and percussion, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, by the Symphony of the Air, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1956 — Martinu: Piano Concerto No. 4 ("Incantations"), at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, by the Symphony of the Air, Leopold Stokowski conducting, with pianist Rudolf Firkusny; 1959 — Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1, by the Leningrad Philharmonic conducted by Yevgeny Mravinsky, with Mstislav Rostropovich as soloist; 1962 — William Schuman: Symphony No. 8 (commissioned for opening season of New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center); 1982 — Glass: "Koyaanisqatsi" film score premiered at Radio City Music Hall Film Festival in New York; 1991 — Lou Harrison: "Homage to Pacifica," over KPFA radio in Berkeley, Calif.; 1997 — Michael Daugherty: "Niagra Falls" for winds, in Ann Arbor, by the University of Michigan Symphonic Band, conducted by H. Robert Reynolds. Other: 1738—London music publisher John Walsh the younger issues Handel's Organ Concertos, Op. 4 (Gregorian date: Oct. 15); 1739—Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in F, Op. 6, no. 2 (Gregorian date: Oct. 15); 1921—The American Academy in Rome awards American composer Leo Sowerby its first two-year composition fellowship; American composer Howard Hanson was awarded the second two-year composition fellowship on November 9, 1921; The third fellowship was awarded to Randall Thompson on June 6, 1922; The fellowship awards continue to this day. |
